After the discussion, Councilman James Stewart blocked a move to bring the ordinance up for a vote. Unanimous consent of the council was needed to allow a vote because it was the first time for the ordinance to be presented.

Councilman Craig Sanderson, who introduced the ordinance, said he would place it on the agenda for a called meeting Thursday at 4 p.m. It would not require unanimous consent Thursday and could pass with a majority vote, Sanderson said.

The ordinance would call for a $50 fine for those who parked in their front yards other than on a paved driveway or parked over a "any part of a curb, sidewalk, or unpaved portion of the public right-of-way."

Exceptions would be allowed for parking in the front yard to load, unload or wash a vehicle for up to five hours in a 24-hour period.

Sanderson said he proposed the ordinance in response to complaints from some residents in his district.

"The group that's coming in and is going to be here for four years should have the right to make that decision," Stewart said.

Kathleen Packer, who lives in the Rock Ridge neighborhood, said she opposed the ordinance. She also disliked the suggestion that some residents can park on the street if they don't have a paved driveway.

"The street is not wide enough for people to park on the street," Packer said.

John Backensto, who lives in the Holiday Gardens neighborhood, told the council he supported the ordinance. He said front-yard parking hurts property values.

"It looks like a used car lot all the vehicles people park in their yards," Backensto said. "There are a lot of renters ... they just don't care about the property."

Mayor Tommy Joe Alexander called the special meeting Thursday to consider a proposal to set up a municipal utility corporation to run the city's water system. Councilman Robert Saunders brought the petition. Sanderson said creation of a separate entity to oversee the water system would remove some of the political considerations from issues such as water rate increases.